Kurt Vile - Bottle It In

Kurt Vile, former guitarist of War On Drugs, Folk Rocker and Philadelphia Native ladies and gentlemen.  I've been into his stuff for years, I've seen him a bunch of times, he's one cool dude.  However, the first few years of his solo career are awfully sloppy.  2008's "Constant Hitmaker" has its moments like "Space Forklift".  But outside of that I felt like Kurt's very wordy and passionate brand of Folk Rock didn't sound so hot with the Low-Fi production here.  2009's "God Is Saying This To You" is certainly a step up.  The songwriting remained Vile's biggest strength, and the melodies were so much more up front.  But the very Low-Fi and grimy vibes of this album continues to be such a downfall for me.  But Kurt started to show some real forward strides with "Childish Prodigy".  The production was a little cleaner, not too much, but a little.  And most importantly Kurt didn't sound like some weirdo who landed a record deal anymore.  No, it was with passionate performances like "Freak Train" that Kurt began to be the Singer-Songwriter I knew he could be.  But Kurt really stepped out into his own on 2011's "Smoke Ring For My Halo".  This album saw Kurt drop the Low-Fi aspect and make this lusciously produced Indie Folk, and man oh man was it great.  It sort of had that throwback Americana feel that War On Drugs were also going for around this time.  But Kurt brought his own sort of twist to it with emotional performances and quirky lyrics, as well as a deadpan singing style.  And the result was actually really great, leading to many of his most iconic and memorable tracks like "Jesus Fever" and "On Tour".   But it was with 2013's "Wakin' On A Pretty Daze" that Kurt became a damn superstar.  This album took his Sunny, Folk Rock sound and blended in elements of Shoegaze, Indie Rock and Psychedelic Rock to make this absolute monolith of an album.  The performances were deadpan, the lyrics were sunny, and the song lengths often grooved over 7 minutes.  But my goodness, Kurt nailed this sound and made it it's own.  Tracks like the monster of a title track, the Psychedelic "Girl Called Alex", the hazy "Pure Pain" and the grungy "KV Crimes" made for some truly fantastic moments.  Kurt Vile had a sound, and it was awesome.  2015 saw Kurt return with "b'lieve i'm goin down...", which once again was a very solid work.  Personally I preferred a lot of what he was doing on his last album.  But the more Folkier sound to this album was absolutely nice.  Tracks like "Pretty Pimpin", "All In A Daze Work" and "Dust Bunnies" were all some of Kurt's best tracks period.  But some of the other tracks here did run a little long-winded, like "Wheelhouse" and "Lost My Head There".  Kurt's back after a few years away, and from the sound of these singles actually really sounds like he's on his game, including one of his fiercest tracks ever.  Let's chat!

(A personal favorite of mine!)

Now, call me crazy, but this album starts off with exactly where I want to hear Kurt.  “Loading Zones” is a little Folkier than Kurt’s last few records, and does remind me a little of his early work.  But I’m gonna be honest, everything about this one rubs me the right way.  His bluesy vocals are great, and this is easily one of Kurt’s fieriest performances in years.  Not to mention, it’s still just a seriously catchy, memorable Folk Rock tune.  The very breezy, easy on the ears Folk Rock rolls on with “Hysteria”.  There’s something about Kurt’s vocals sometimes that get right up in my head and warm me up.  Like, he’s just got this cool vibe that he works with so well.  But lyrically, while I personally don’t mind this one, I’m beginning to sense something that I really didn’t get on the first track.  Kurt honestly does sound a little off lyrically, and not nearly as focused as he did on this album’s intro.  That was just this fiery piece of Folk Rock filled with anger in all the right places.  But “Hysteria” is so much more deadpan, and a dreary tune filled with much more puzzling lyrics.  This is sort of just alright, and at points is a little underwhelming.  Thankfully, because Kurt is just so cool and can pull off these fantastic performances, this still has plenty going for it.  “Yeah Bones” however, was something I didn’t expect to hear.  And that my friends, is a very upbeat, fun tune.  Like, I’m honestly trying to remember the last time I actually heard a more upbeat tune from Kurt.  And honestly, this one may not be perfect, but it breaks things up very nicely.  It’s interesting to hear him in this atmosphere and some of the instrumentals behind him come off wonderfully, from those synths to the twinkling bells.  Sure, it may not be that gruff and bluesy, but this is just the type of risk Kurt needs to take these days.  But the only thing that does sort of raise my eyebrows is how long this one rolls on after Kurt has done his thing.  This could have easily been a 3-minute single and didn’t need to be a 5-minute jam.  Honestly, it’s tracks like “Bassackwards” that is where I really want to hear Kurt.  I love just how hazy this one is, almost Psychedelic in parts.  And it’s just so simple, between the spacey production and the sound effects just out of reach.  And honestly, everything comes off really well.  Like, Kurt sounds like he’s the master of this atmosphere here.  Even lyrically, Kurt seems to be back on his game completely.  It’s these moments where Kurt seems to be back on his game completely, it’s these moments that Kurt comes off as some Bluesy Urban Cowboy and I love it.  Now, truth be told, this one does ramble on a bit, almost too much at times.  But with this hazy atmosphere glitching in and out all around Kurt, it actually ends up working nicely.  Ironically, this comes off better than other tunes that maybe only have a jam for a minute or two.  And it might sound cliche, but when it comes to tracks like “One Trick Ponies”, this is just a sound I’ll never truly hate from Kurt.  In a lot of ways, this one sounds like it would have fit nicely on his last album between the finger-plucked guitars and the bluesy vibes.  So yea, I guess you can say occasionally it does feel like we’ve been here before with Kurt.  But Kurt ends up pulling it off really nicely with another very cool performance.  But lyrically, Kurt does slightly seem a little off once again.  It’s not a badly written tune, but I feel like I’ve always been able to understand Kurt, and that he's always coming off as down to earth. Here, I feel like I need to put in way too much effort.  It’s a solid track though. 

As this album rolls on, Kurt just tries out more and more sounds.  “Rollin With the Flow” is actually a really solid sound for Kurt.  I love just how breezy this one is, and Kurt’s performance on this one may be his best of the bunch.  That, alongside just how blissful and carefree this one is, makes it work.  But once again, I feel like Kurt is really holding back on us with songwriting.  This one is much more straightforward, but this time it’s almost to a fault.  It’s way too straightforward and too blatant.  The pieces are all here, and this album isn’t terrible, but Kurt’s better than this.  Also, why does it sound like he ripped this track kicking and screaming out of a Mac Demarco album?  But with “Check Baby” things start getting really weird for me.  Like, I actually think the bluesy guitars are some of the best the album has to offer.  And Kurt’s very sly, dangerous performance here is on top of its game.  That’s all fine and dandy.  But if that’s all that was going on here, this would possibly be the best track here.  But that disgusting, obnoxious, unflattering electronic beat in the background is just so ugly.  And it’s a shame because outside of that, this is a totally viable track.  But it’s just so ugly.  Here I am, hearing Kurt give one of his best performances of the album, listening to him absolutely rip on his guitar.  But then we get this beat in the background, and it just takes it down so many levels.  I mean, I still end up loving this track for other reasons.  But this could have been so much more.  Notice how much better this track gets in the later moments when that beat gets drowned out.  This one just has some poor choices.  But still, if Kurt is going to go for this long-winded Psychedelic journey of a tune, this is fine.  But “Bottle It In” is where I draw the lines.  I’m really not this incredibly sluggish tune.  Once again, there’s this very noisy beat in the background that just doesn’t really serve any purpose.  But this time, there’s nothing else to really fall back on.  Like, Kurt is at his most rambling here and his most spaced out, which are usually elements to his music that I love.  But here, this is absolutely painful.  This goes over 10 minutes, and I can’t tell you anything about it.  The twinkling guitars don’t do anything, and Kurt at times just sounds bored.  I think the message behind this one is a powerful one, but this was not the way to do it.  Those beats in the background are doing less and less for me with each passing second.  “Mutinies” isn’t completely unlistenable though.  But to sit here and say that those beats int he background are distracting and just plain annoying would be lying.  And it’s a shame because I do really love some of the warm guitars and Kurt’s soothing vocals.  I just think this is a really weird choice for Kurt.  But I digress, because there are still a ton of very wintery, warm vocals here, and some of the imagery here is actually really beautiful. But I just can’t get over that damn whirring that seems so out of place.  Not to mention, we once again get almost a 2-minute jam at the end.  And it’s not necessarily BAD, but it just doesn’t do too much for me.  But with “Come Again”, Kurt brings in the right amount of ruggedness that I’ve been dying for.  Compared to the rest of this album, this has a real grittiness to it.  I love just how much Kurt sounds like a damn outlaw here.  There’s nothing polished or spacey about this.  And yea, you can argue that this one may be a little too preachy because it certainly is.  But I’ll be absolutely damned if I’m not over the moon for this one.  Like, it’s just so straightforward and such a simple sound for Kurt.  I also really love just how vast this one is.  It may not be as Psychedelic and Shoegaze oriented or as warped, but it’s just as cinematic.  Kurt, give me some more of THIS. 

Oh boy but let me tell you, the last thing that I wanted to hear right now was another very dreary, slow tune.  But that’s what we get with “Cold Was the Wind”, which isn't rugged or bluesy or anything close.  This is just a weird, underwritten, gloomy track that sounds like Kurt doesn't give a shit.  So honestly, why should I?  This track rolls on for over 5 minutes, I’m just not buying it.  The thing with this album is, I really love elements of it, but I still just can’t wrap my head around it completely.  Like, I actually really love Kurt’s long-winded and complicated ramble on “Skinny Mini”.  That, alongside his very lazy, dreary performance is actually great.  But this very hazy atmosphere goes nowhere.  No joke, absolutely nowhere.  Kurt just ends up getting lost in his own Psychedelic atmosphere.  This is the sort of instance where this incredibly vast track just isn’t nearly as interesting as it should be.  However, Kurt still does have some great one-liners, and when Kurt shuts up a second and plays his guitar things get GREAT.  So this isn’t all bad, but why is this over 10 minutes long?!  This album ends off with this bizarre instrumental “(bottle back)”.  Like, sure, there are cool moments here.  The Low-Fi pianos are fine and the wailing guitars are cool.  But let’s be honest, outside of that this is horse shit.  I can’t be too pissed because it’s just a finale instrumental, but Kurt can do so much more. 

Rating: 7.1/10

Give A Listen To: “Loading Zones”, “Bassackwards”, "Check Baby”, “Come Again”

Least Favorite Track: “Bottle It In”

Genre: Folk Rock / Indie Rock / Psychedelic Rock

Overall Thoughts:  Kurt Vile comes through with his most jumbled and least focused album in years with “Bottle It In”.  The most frustrating thing is, there are a lot of really great ideas here.  Some of his rambling vocals are great, and when the guitar-work is on, it’s ON.  But the amount of 10-minute jams here are obscene.  There’s a perfectly good 45-minute album here, but Kurt jams his way to well over an hour.  And honestly, that leads to its downfall.  That, and stupid production quirks like some Electronic whirring that is going to haunt me in my dreams.  But outside of that, Kurt is still a fantastic presence in the Folk scene and a brilliant songwriter, he just doesn’t seem focused.